


Three Heartbeats

by kaiwuff



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Kiibo's a literal fucking disaster, M/M, Octopouma, Rated Teen for language- probably, Self-Indulgent, all the characters will make an appearance, if i have enough motivation to write that much, mermaid au, more tags to be added later
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-01-04 13:12:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18344381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaiwuff/pseuds/kaiwuff
Summary: ((ABANDONED WORK))‘... Have you heard? Legend says that there’s a siren living in the nearby sea. They say that the creature has shoulder length hair, dark as the sea, and has a very distinct laugh. Those who’ve encountered it and lived to tell the tale describe it like bells.... They say it lures its prey away from their group, and then finishes them off underwater. The sea really is getting more dangerous, if there’s a creature like that...’(A super self-indulgent Kiibouma Mermaid AU because I'm weak and have no self-restraint-If Ouma's speech doesn't read naturally when it's from Kiibo's perspective, it's because I intended it to be like that- He knows English because of Amami, but he's not- he's not great at it-Please keep in mind that I wrote most of this when I was half asleep so if there's issues with the grammar or spelling blame 2 AM Kai.If you know why this is called three heartbeats off the top of your head I'll give you uhhhhhhh a bagel)





	1. Chapter 1

    ‘... Have you heard? Legend says that there’s a siren living in the nearby sea. They say that the creature has shoulder length hair, dark as the sea, and has a very distinct laugh. Those who’ve encountered it and lived to tell the tale describe it like bells.

 

    ... They say it lures its prey away from their group, and then finishes them off underwater. The sea really is getting more dangerous, if there’s a creature like that...’

 

~~

 

    “Did you hear? Amami said they’re telling stories about you! Myths! You’re endangering all of us with your stupid pranks!”

    Ouma let out a lighthearted laugh, swimming in circles lazily as he tried to entertain himself by conversing with his ‘friend’. It hadn’t proved to be very effective. “Geez, if I had wanted a lecture I would’ve gone to Toujou.” He complained, barely batting an eye. “You don’t really make a compelling argument anyway, do you, Momota?”

    “It’s not about making a compelling argument, it’s about you endangering our existence!” The flying fish protested, swimming closer to jab an accusatory finger in the octopus’ direction. “If you don’t clean up your act, I’m gonna have to do it for ya!”

    “Oh, please.” Ouma snorted, knocking Momota’s hand out of the way as he continued swimming leisurely. “I haven’t even done anything wrong, compared to you! I just play harmless pranks on the humans from time to time, and sometimes they end up getting traumatized! That’s not  _ my _ fault!” The mimic threw his hands up helplessly, feigning cluelessness. “I don’t get it! Amami’s always getting on  _ my _ case, but you’re the one always going around cutting their nets! That’s against the rules!”

    “I do that to  _ save _ us, Ouma!” Momota hissed, visibly getting agitated. “I don’t play pointless pranks, unlike you! Some of us want to live!”

    “I-I’m just trying to follow the r-rules...” The octopus brought his hands up to cover his face, before letting out a wail, bubbles escaping from his mouth. “Y-You’re so mean to me, Momota!”

    “Cut it out, Ouma.” The merman growled. He crossed his arms in frustration as Ouma sniffled a few times, rubbing at his eyes. “I’m serious. One of these days, you’re going to get one of us caught, or even worse, killed.”

 

—

 

    Kiibo Iidabashi was preparing for a voyage, packing all his items into a heavy duty bag, mumbling under his breath.

    “Kiibo? We need to head off soon. The captain is getting impatient.” His door opened a crack, and the yellow eye told him that his friend, Shuichi Saihara, had come to check on him.

    “My apologies, Saihara. I just have a few more items to get.” Kiibo got up from where he was kneeling, hurrying to grab some files off the shelf, before stuffing those in his bag as well, zipping it shut with a bit of effort.

    “Are you sure you’ll be alright? You still don’t know ho-“

    “I’ll be fine, Saihara.” The marine biologist silenced the other with a stare. Almost as if challenging him to finish his sentence. He picked up his bag, puffing under the weight of it, before walking out the door and past the blue haired man, who followed closely behind.

    As they exited the apartment, a girl stood, waiting for them in the lobby of the building. “... It took you long enough. I was starting to wonder if I needed to go up after you.” Her voice was monotonous and cold, a stark contrast to the concerned, almost frail voice of Saihara.

    “Apologies, Harukawa. I had some last minute data to compile.” Kiibo offered, adjusting his hold on his bag. “Is Kamakura still waiting on the boat?”

    “Yes, miraculously.” The brunette deadpanned, gesturing to the window, where the marine biologist could barely see the docks located on the other side of the building.

    “We should hurry, then.” Saihara mumbled, before leading their small group out of the building, the first telltale drops of a storm beginning to dot the streets. They hurried towards the boat, the two males panting a bit by the time they got there.

    “It’s about time you got here.” The long haired captain held no emotion in his voice, only looking at the group in disappointment. “I’ve been waiting for fifty-three minutes. There are better uses of my time than waiting for you.”

    “S-Sorry, Mr. Kamakura... We had some last minute preparations come up.” Saihara apologized again, catching his breath. “We appreciate what you’re doing. Marine conservation is extremely important right now, your contributions are helping a lot.”

    “Yes, yes. You’re not here to waste my time with your pleasantries. You’re here to gather data.” As soon as the three were safely on the ship, Kamakura raised the anchor, storming off towards the engine room.

    The boat sputtered to life moments later. The noise never failed to unsettle Kiibo.

    As he watched the docks grow farther and farther away, he glanced up towards the sky, holding out a hand, feeling a few drops of rain hit his skin. He pulled his hand back, hugging himself now as he shivered slightly, the chill penetrating through his clothes.

    “Kiibo. Do you have all of your files? You didn’t forget anything?” Harukawa’s voice interrupted his train of thought, causing him to spin around. The brunette looked mildly annoyed, her arms crossed as her fingers drummed against her coat lightly, red eyes narrowed.

    “I have everything needed for this trip.” The white haired man nodded, taking his bag and clutching it closely to his chest. “We’re simply running some tests on the open water and checking for visible species. It is not the most demanding task we’ve taken.” He reminded her lightly, earning him another glare.

    “Just make sure you stay away from the edge of the boat.” She cautioned, turning away from her companion. “We don’t want another incident.”

    Kiibo let out a quiet sigh as she walked away from him, presumably headed over to chew Saihara out as well. He knew that she had the best intentions at heart, but her rough personality tended to scare him a bit more than necessary.

_ Stay away from the edge... Right. I can do that. _

 

~~

 

    After getting lectured by Momota, along with receiving a light scolding from Amami shortly after, Ouma was fed up with his peers.

    Swimming around aimlessly, he decided to make his way to the surface, sensing that there was a storm. Those had always been the octopus’ favorite, the feeling of the rain on his face, the howl of the wind as the waves continuously crashed over him... It was thrilling.

    Rather than the usual thrill he got when he broke the waves and reached the air, the faint sound of shouts reached his ears over the familiar roar of the sea, and the occasional ‘boom’ of thunder. He examined his surroundings, seeing nothing above water. When he made the decision to dive underwater once again, the problem became clear to him.

    A human was flailing near the surface about ten meters away, barely managing to keep themselves afloat as the waves tumbled them around. A boat seemed to be drifting near them, presumably trying to save them from the sea.

    Ouma immediately swam forward to help, but hesitated once he had drawn near. This was a  _ human _ . Sure, he was a prankster. He loved playing practical jokes on humans to see their reactions, which were always hilarious... He’d had his fair share of human interaction. But touching one?  _ Saving _ one? Those were out of the octopus’ expertise.

    He felt torn between leaving the human to their fate and aiding them in returning to their boat, right up until they stopped struggling, only sinking now that their limbs were not working to propel them upwards.

    Ouma shook his head with a “God damn it!”, jetting himself forwards. He grabbed the human by their clothes, cringing at the foreign texture on his skin. With a grunt of effort, he brought both of them back up to the surface, where the boat had pointed a light, trying to find its missing member.

    As the octopus tried dragging the unconscious human towards the boat, he heard faint shouts of “Siren, siren!”, and before Ouma could comprehend what had happened, the boat had turned around, cutting the waves as it left quickly, disappearing into the mist. The storm continued to rage on, the rain falling harder now.

    “Cowards. You would’ve left one of your own to die.” The mimic muttered darkly, before hoisting the human onto his shoulders, letting out a grunt of effort and annoyance. “Saddling me with all the responsibility... Who do they think they are?!” He grumbled, beginning to swim in the direction of what he thought was the mainland. “‘Siren’... As if!”

 

—

 

Kiibo felt his head pounding as he slowly regained consciousness, flinching as he felt the uncomfortable ebb and flow of what felt like water.

_ Wait... Water...? _

    As realization dawned on him, he shot upright, breathing heavily as his eyes opened to the ocean, though it was a stark contrast to how he remembered it.

    The waves had calmed down, the clouds had dissipated, and the early morning sun was rising from the East.

    As he grew more awake, he suddenly became aware of a warmth at his left side, looking down, his eyes widening from what he saw.

    It was an unconscious... person, if you could even call them that. The upper half was normal, however the bottom half turned into textured skin with striped tentacles strewn beneath them. Kiibo couldn’t do anything but gape, trying to comprehend his situation.

    He dug through his memories, despite the throbbing headache he had, recalling the events that had taken place.

    He’d fallen out of the boat. He was certain that he would’ve drowned, but... right before he had lost consciousness, he’d seen a flash of black and white.

    Colors that matched with the mercreature’s tail.

    “Y-You’re the one who saved me, then...” Kiibo murmured, before realizing with a start that he hadn’t finished examining his surroundings. He quickly got to his knees, his head turning as he realized they were on a beach, pleasantly surprised when he realized he recognized the location. They weren’t far from his apartment.

    Kiibo stood up, shivering from the cold, bewildered by the fact that he hadn’t died of hypothermia, considering the fact that his clothes were wet, and he’d been out for more than a few hours.

    The marine biologist shook his head to dismiss the thoughts, turning his attention back to the mercreature before him, running through possible scenarios and outcomes in his head.

_  If I leave them here, they may wake up and return to the ocean... But what if someone else finds them here first...? _

    Kiibo let out a sigh of frustration, realizing that if he wanted to ensure the safety of the creature, he would need to bring them home with him.

    Tentatively, he approached the octopus-like creature, poking them lightly to check for a reaction. When there was none after a few moments, he picked up the creature, looking around to make sure there was no one in the area, before hurrying back to his apartment in the cover of dawn, taking the mercreature with him.

 

—

 

    Kiibo finally reached his apartment after painfully hoisting the mercreature up the stairs, adjusting them so they were resting on his shoulder as he fumbled for his keys in his pocket, pleasantly surprised to find them relatively dry.

    The white haired man unlocked his door with a bit of trouble, opening and closing it behind them when he managed to drag himself and his savior into the room, letting out a sigh of relief.

    Now that he was in his own home, he glanced over at his new companion, taking some time to look them over.

    Judging from the physique, Kiibo guessed that he was male. He had dark hair, tinted with purple at the tips. He seemed fairly human from the torso up, other than the odd fin-like webbing on his arms and hands, though his lower half was completely like that of a cephalopod.  _ An Indonesian mimic octopus, if I had to guess... _ Kiibo thought, shrugging off his soaked jacket as he shivered a bit, realizing he needed to take care of himself and his new guest.

    After a bit of fumbling, Kiibo managed to remember where he stored the salt solution his team used whenever they took care of sea creatures. He hoisted the bucket to his bathroom, turning on the water, before going back to his foyer to retrieve the mercreature, gingerly placing him in the tub.

    It was at this moment that the creature began to stir, causing the marine biologist to feel a bit of panic. Yes, the octopus had saved him earlier, but no one could predict how he’d react now, in a strange environment with a stranger near him.

    Kiibo hastily added the solution to the bath water, turning it off before the tub could overflow, rushing out of the bathroom as soon as he did so, not wanting the creature to feel overwhelmed and freak out.

    From the other side of the door, he could hear splashing as his guest regained consciousness, though he tried to ignore it for the time being, instead trying to focus on his own damp clothes.

    The albino’s limbs felt numb from his hours on the beach in the damp clothes, though after a few moments he succeeded in undressing, taking a nearby towel to dry himself, realizing his teeth were chattering.

    Just as he was about to get a blanket, he heard a soft call from the bathroom, mentally slapping himself for not paying attention.  _ Of course he’s up and confused. He has no clue what happened. _

    “Well, it’s better now than never.” Kiibo mumbled, dressing himself quickly in a tank top and shorts, with the towel still draped across his shoulders.

    Hesitantly, he pushed the door open, peeking into the tiled room.

    As he had expected, the creature was still in the bathtub, looking over towards the open door with wide eyes, only the upper half of his face visible as he hid behind the wall of the tub.

    “Ah, hello.” Kiibo greeted, though he realized his voice sounded scratchy. He was likely developing some sort of cold from being soaked to the bone outside, though he tried to disregard it. “I am Kiibo Iidabashi. Can you... Can you understand anything I’m saying?” He asked, not very hopeful. After all, they were two different species- or at least, that was what he thought.

    The octopus squinted for a moment, as if trying to understand the noises coming from the albino’s mouth, before perking up. “Under...stand.” He affirmed. His voice was heavily accented, however Kiibo was pleasantly surprised nonetheless, shocked that they were able to communicate.

    “Do you remember what happened last night?” He asked, taking care to slow his speech so the octopus would be able to follow.

    “Boat. You... were drowning.” It took him several heartbeats to get the words out, but after he looked around the room. “Where… is this?”

    “This is my home. When I woke up on the beach, you were unconscious. I didn’t want to leave you there.” The marine biologist explained, trying not to do anything that could freak the other out. “I’ve told you my name. What’s yours?”

    The creature turned to face Kiibo, rising from the water a bit. The biologist felt a shiver down his spine when he found himself staring at the other’s eyes, which he noted were almost like those of a real cephalopod.

    He finally replied after several moments of staring. “Kokichi Ouma. I’m... a siren.” His expression changed into a gleeful smile, raising a finger to his lip. “My charms worked again!”

    Kiibo was a bit taken aback by that statement, frowning a bit as he looked over the other. “But if you’re a siren, why did you save me?” He asked, not fully believing the other’s story. “You just look like an Indonesian Mimic Octopus to me.”

    “I saved you... because you’re cute.” Ouma snickered, a devilish look crossing his face.   
    Kiibo blinked, before feeling his face heat up. “A-Ah, I don’t think- I mean-”

    “Lies! Lies, lies, lies!” The octopus laughed gleefully, leaning over the side of the tub now. “You’re stupid. I like that.” He stated, looking overjoyed.

    The albino opened his mouth to retort, however he was startled into silence when he heard his apartment door slam open, shaking the bathroom and causing the mercreature to jump, slipping back down into the water in three heartbeats.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kiibo gets a visit from a dear friend, and it seems Ouma’s stay may be prolonged.

    “ _ Kiibo! _ Kiibo, where are you hiding, you fuckin’ virgin?!” A voice called out, and while Ouma had difficulty picking out all the words, he could tell they weren’t exactly pleasant.

    His companion, on the other hand, let out a shaky sigh of relief, which the octopus believed was extremely misplaced.  _ Are you crazy? Someone just broke into your home! _

    “Come in, Iruma.” He called, causing Ouma to shrink down even further into the bathtub. “It’s alright, she’s a close friend. I trust her.”

    It took the mercreature a few moments to process his words, though his eyes narrowed when he understood. He longed to argue back with something along the lines of ‘ _ You may trust her, but I don’t! _ ’, though while he struggled to find the words, the bathroom door opened, and another human stepped in.

    “Holy  _ shit _ , I didn’t think Amami was actually telling the truth!” She gaped, staring into the bathtub.

    While Ouma’s first instinct was to shrink further back into the tub and hiss, he immediately recognized one word she said. “Amami?”

    The attention of the two humans was on him when he said this, though Kiibo looked confused, glancing between the two. “Am I… Missing something here?”

    “You. Amami told me about you.” The new human,  _ Iruma _ , Ouma thought, stared directly at him. “He said you’re a prankster. You better not cause this horndog any grief, because  _ if you do- _ ” She raised a finger threateningly, before Kiibo stepped between them, trying to pacify the situation.

    “Ah, Iruma, it’s alright- He saved me. I fell off the boat, and if it weren’t for Ouma I likely would have drowned.” He explained, trying to calm the girl down. “Now, could you tell me who this Amami is?”

    “If you worked at the  _ aquarium _ you would know by now, dumbass!” Ouma didn’t like the tone of her voice, shrinking back to the far side of the tub as he glared at her.

    “You know I’m working with my father at Iidabashi Labs, Iruma, I-“

    “Yeah, well, the aquarium has better benefits!”

    “Well, I don’t know about that…”

    The mimic looked back and forth between the two humans, unable to pick out all the words in their fast paced conversation, growling in annoyance. “Hey! Talk slower… dumbasses!”

    They both stopped talking when the mercreature shouted, with Kiibo looking a bit guilty, before he spoke again, this time directly to Ouma. “I’m sorry, we’re not trying to exclude you. Would you mind if we left for a moment to talk outside?” He asked, to which the octopus nodded.

    “Go, too loud.” He complained, sinking into the water without another word, hearing a soft “I’ll be back,” before the door clicked, and the room was quiet once more.

 

—

 

    “We’ve already been over the issue of why I don’t work at the aquarium. Can you please explain the situation to me? We can talk about that another day.” Kiibo brought a hand up to his temple, feeling a headache coming on.

    “Hmph. Fine, since you’re  _ begging _ me. The aquarium’s had some rather unusual guests ever since May of last year. At first Yumeno and Yonaga thought they kept spotting large fish, but it turned out they were mercreatures or some shit.” Iruma seemed a bit miffed as she explained, crossing her arms as she sat down on Kiibo’s living room couch. “There was a shark freaking out about some other fish, so we brought them both back to the aquarium. Turns out the filthy virgin was a koi!”

    “So you discovered  _ two _ mercreatures, and you didn’t tell anyone?” Kiibo exclaimed, trying to figure out what their thought process had been.

    “W-Well, Hoshi wanted to k-keep it a secret- Said that if the authorities found out they would t-take them away…” Iruma mumbled, looking away from him now.

    “So I’m guessing one of these is Amami?” Kiibo sighed. “Where are they now?”

    “A-Amami was the shark, w-we let him go back to the ocean. He still comes back to visit every so o-often.” She explained, looking more than a bit uncomfortable now. “We kept Shinguuji in the back, s-since he can’t go into the ocean, a-and there’s no safe freshwater bodies for us to take him to… C-Can you stop interrogating me now?”

    Kiibo sat back and closed his eyes in thought, trying to process what he’d learned. Mermaids were real, the aquarium was keeping one in secret, and he now had one sitting in his bathtub.

    “Could we take Ouma to the aquarium then, too? We could check that he’s alright, and then reunite him with Amami.” Kiibo suggested.

    “Well, that’s going to be difficult. Inspection is coming up any day now, and the higher ups are starting to suspect something. It’s difficult enough to hide Shinguuji. That fuckin’ bitch Eno _ shit _ ma’s coming for this inspection, too. It would be safer to keep him here for the time being.” Iruma grumbled, looking at anything but Kiibo. “You’re just gonna have to wait until the inspection is over, and then we can have Hoshi check him out like a perv and dump him back on Amami.”

    “Surely we can work something else out. I would feel guilty keeping him in my bathtub for that long, not to mention I need to use it…” Kiibo trailed off, realizing with a pang that he hadn’t really thought this through. “Can we not arrange for Amami to come pick him up at the beach?”

    “Too risky. It’s a miracle you got him home without anyone seeing you, but some fisherman or tourist is bound to see you and start some shit if you bring him back.” Iruma crossed her legs, huffing. “To think, you’re already bringing guys back to your place…”

    “I-Iruma! It’s not like that!” Kiibo protested almost immediately, his face flushing a bit red.

    “Ha! Look at you getting all flustered and bashful! Just what I expected from a fuckin’ virgin! Maybe you can have some fun with all those damn tentacles! Is that why you brought him home? I didn’t know you were such a horny bastard, Kiibo! I’ll have to give you some new vibrating tools next ti-”

    “ _ Iruma _ !” Kiibo repeated, causing the girl to let out an “Eep!” before shying away from him. “Just… Let me make sure I understand this situation correctly. I have to keep Ouma in my bathtub until inspection ends at the aquarium, and then we can return him to his friends?”

    “S-Something like that…” She mumbled. “Th-That’s all I had to tell you. C-Can I go now?”

    “Yes. Thank you, Iruma.” Kiibo nodded, getting up to open the door for her. “You’ve been quite helpful.”

    “Y-Yeah, well, wh… whatever. You need me to look after your virgin ass, you wouldn’t be able to function without me!” She laughed, walking out of the apartment. “Bye bye, Kiibo! Good luck with the hentai~”

    “ _ IRUMA _ !”

    “ _ EEP _ !”

 

~~

 

    Ouma had quickly grown bored of the silence of the room, laying back in the water in boredom, looking up at the strange light hanging from above.

    He’d never pictured himself in this situation. He could trick Momota into jumping foolishly out of the water until he was too exhausted to move, he could use Gokuhara’s kindness against him to hitch easy rides across the currents, and quite frankly, he could probably have tricked any of his ‘friends’ into doing whatever he wanted, if he tried hard enough. However, he couldn’t resist getting involved when it was a human involved. It was strange, it perplexed him, but he shook his head, trying not to read too deeply into it.

    His thoughts were cut short when he heard the click of the door, immediately going on defense before he realized it was Kiibo, holding an odd looking disk with what smelled like…crab?

    In an instant, Ouma realized how hungry he had been, his mouth watering just from the smell, leaning on the side of the tub.

    “I’m sorry for the wait. I brought you some food. I hope you eat crab.” Kiibo set the disk down on the tub, visibly jumping when Ouma immediately grabbed all the crab with his tentacles, taking them and shoving them in his mouth enthusiastically.

    “I usually only eat food that I catch myself... but I’ll make an exception this time.” He commented, scarfing down all the crab meat quickly. That was a lie, he had a habit of stealing other creatures’ catches. In fact, he rarely caught his own.

    “How can you speak to me so fluently?” Kiibo blurted suddenly. “You speak slowly, yet your grammar and pronunciation are almost perfect.”

    “Amami teaches us all.” Ouma shrugged, swallowing the last of the crab. “I’m just… so talented, I barely need to try.” He grinned, boosting his own ego. “I’m the smartest mimic octopus. The only one.”

    “The only one? What do you mean? Last I checked the mimic octopus was only elusive, not in immediate danger of extincti-“

    “Are you dense?” Ouma tilted his head, interrupting the human as he leaned over on the side of the tub. “The last one of  _ me _ ! I’m not just any mimic octopus. I’m a hybrid.”

    “Oh… I see… So there are no others like you? What about your friend, Amami?” Kiibo asked, though Ouma could see that the human was visibly distressed by his statement.

    “He’s another hybrid, but I’m the only mimic octopus! Amami’s a greenland shark, he doesn’t count.” Ouma huffed, crossing his arms. “Do you have any more crab? Oh, how about this — I’ll answer one of your questions for each crab leg you give me, nishishi~!”

    “Well… That seems fair. One moment, I’ll go get you some more.” The human nodded, before getting up to exit the room.

    Once he was gone, Ouma leaned back in the tub again, lazily tracing shapes in the water with his finger while he waited for his companion to come back.

    After a few minutes, Kiibo was back with the disk again, four large crab legs sitting on it.

    “Ooh! Now we’re talking!” He beamed, taking one of the legs in his hands, cracking it open easily. “Ask away, Kiiboy!”

    “How many mercreatures are there? Besides you and Amami, that is.” Kiibo clarified, waiting patiently for a response.

    “There’s eight of us in total. One of them lives in your ‘aquarium’, since he’s freshwater. I still don’t know how he managed to survive for as long as he did in the wild!” The octopus exclaimed, popping the meat in his mouth after he answered. “I’ve only met him once, when he was still in the ocean and Amami was freaking out about it.”

    “Ah… I see. I think Iruma mentioned that his name was ‘Shinguuji’...” Kiibo mumbled, looking down in thought.

    “There goes one of your questions! Better have your next one ready-“ Ouma sang, grabbing another crab leg, cracking it open.

    “What are your friends like?” Kiibo asked, a question that took the octopus a bit by surprise.

    “Whaaaa? I thought you’d ask about literally anything else! My friends are all pawns in my game, I’m actually the leader of the entire group!” That was a lie. If anything, Amami and Akamatsu were the ones in charge, but he wasn’t about to let the albino know that. He ate the second crab leg, with a bit less enthusiasm this time.

    “Well, tell me about them. I’m interested to learn more about them.” Kiibo pressed, leaning forward.

    “Hmph. Since you’re  _ so _ persistent.” Ouma grumbled, crossing his arms. “I’m probably closest to Amami and Momota. Amami’s the only one there with any brains, other than myself of course! Momota’s a total idiot, but it’s fun to mess around with him because of that… stupidity.” He snorted, flicking the water in the tub lazily. “Akamatsu and Toujou are alright. Shirogane’s really plain, I actually can’t think of anything to say about her!” The octopus threw up his hands in mock exasperation, before continuing. “Then there’s Gokuhara. He’s the most loyal of all my lackeys!” It took him a few moments to realize he was out of breath, frowning a bit. He really wasn’t used to speaking in the human tongue unless it was with Amami.

    Kiibo took in this information slowly, nodding a bit when he managed to wrap his head around all the names. “I see. Thank you, Ouma.” He nodded, before he offered the other two crab legs to him.

    The mimic octopus took them from the disk, tilting his head a bit. “Next question?”

    He was caught a bit off guard when the human shook his head, fidgeting in place where he was sitting on the floor. “Well, I have a confession to make. We can’t take you home immediately.” Kiibo admitted, which didn’t come as a huge surprise to Ouma. “There’s some… complications at the aquarium, and it’s not safe to take you to meet Anami there yet. However, I promise that as soon as the threat is gone, I’ll take you back myself.”

    Frankly, Ouma didn’t mind this at all. In fact, he was thrilled. A trip away from the idiots back home,  _ and _ a naïve host? It was almost like a dream come true.

    The octopus took one of the crab legs in his hands, cracking it open, feigning a hurt expression. “I can’t believe you’d hide something like that.” He mumbled, feeling giddy when he saw the other look down in guilt. “But! If you let me have these two crab legs without questions… I’ll forgive you.” He decided.

    Kiibo seemed to perk up at that, nodding quickly. “Ah, of course. I apologize for hiding that, I didn’t mean to be secretive.”

    “You already won my heart with crab, it’s not like I could stay mad.” Ouma shrugged, before grinning widely. “Nishishi~ Take good care of me, okay?”

    “I will, I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for any errors or inconsistencies that may have worked their way in, i don’t proofread any of my writing because i suck at that and i’ve been working on this chapter since before i posted the first one sogkalfk-


	3. Chapter 3: UNFINISHED

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry guys  
> people don’t really follow this fic but  
> i’m not going to be continuing this writing  
> i did start writing chapter 3 but i was never able to finish it and i have my own reasons for not wanting to finish this  
> sorry

Saihara couldn’t stop shaking, holding his forehead in a hand as he hyperventilated, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes.  
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry.” He whispered, struggling to hold back his sobs as thoughts of a certain albino flashed through his head.  
“Saihara! Are you in there, you virgin?! What’re you sobbing about? Did you get cockblocked again?!” A voice carried through his door, accompanied by loud knocking as the newcomer tried to get his door open, much to his dismay.  
“A-Ah, now’s not a good time, Iru-“ The dark haired man wasn’t able to get his sentence out before the newcomer had managed to open the door to his apartment, stomping inside with her hands on her hips.  
“What are you moping around for?!” Iruma demanded, looking around the room for anything that might be indicative of what had made him so upset.  
“I-I-“ Saihara was unable to get the words out of his mouth, instead clutching at his chest. _How can I possibly tell her? She was so close to him, there’s no way she’ll take it well…_  
“Well? I’m wasting my valuable time talking to you! What is it?” Ituma repeated, causing Saihara to hug himself.  
“K-Kiibo… We went with Kamukura to take samples and record data…” He mumbled, trying to figure out the best way to phrase it. “Kiibo… He got thrown o-overboard.” The journalist finished, bracing himself for Iruma’s rage, the unending questions, anything.  
To his surprise, it never came. His friend stood in his doorway, hands still on her hips before she burst into gut-busting laughter, doubling over and slapping her knee.  
“A-Ahaha! That’s why you’re moping around? ‘Cause our neighborhood hentai addict got thrown overboard?” She clarified, wiping a tear from her eye.  
“I’m serious, Iruma! Kiibo is- wait, hentai addict?”  
“He’s alive and well, in his apartment. Go check it out if you’re so worried.” Iruma huffed, ignoring Saihara’s last statement. “He’s fine!”  
“How is that- What did- That’s not possible!” He exclaimed, dashing around to grab items in order to make himself presentable. “I-I saw him stop moving! Kamukura turned the boat away and said we needed to leave!”  
“Well, you thought wrong! Your shoes are on backwards, by the way.”

—

“You don’t have any memory of your parents?” Kiibo was stunned, listening to Ouma’s tale as the octopus told him all about his life before.  
“Nope! The first smart creature I met was Amami, I was completely alone up until then!” Ouma chirped, eating another crab leg that the albino had brought for him.  
Kiibo thought Ouma’s statements over for a bit, mulling over the implications. “But that would mean you survived alone until- You said you met him when you were 16?”  
“Sixteen seasons, I told you!” The octopus sounded exasperated, though Kiibo saw the mischievous glint in his eyes, letting out a sigh.  
“Right. Sixteen seasons. My apologies.” He corrected himself, sitting back against the wall.  
“After I met Amami, we started meeting everyone else! They were al-“ Ouma was interrupted by a loud ‘thump’ from outside, with the human standing up immediately.  
“I’m going to go see what that was, stay here until I come back.” Kiibo instructed, to which the octopus responded with an indignant huff.  
“Unless you have a pool you didn’t tell me about, I’m not going anywhere!” He exclaimed.  
The normalcy of Ouma’s quick witted and mildly sarcastic response put Kiibo at ease as he stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him. With a quick glance around his living room, he deemed nothing was inside, now approaching the front door cautiously.  
The marine biologist almost jumped as there was another thump, followed by several short, rapid knocks. One look through the peephole told him it was Saihara.  
He swung the door open quickly, opening his mouth to say something before he was smothered in a hug.  
“Thank god, you’re alright! I was so worried that you would drown, but- but Kamukura said we had to leave-“ Saihara’s words tumbled out of his mouth, hugging the albino tighter as if he was scared the other would disappear.  
“Ah, Saihara- Too tight-“ Kiibo rasped, causing the journalist to let him go immediately, rambling out apologies.  
“How did you get back? Harukawa and I were so worried, we wanted to send a search party but Kamukura said-“  
“I, uh, swam! Yup.” Kiibo interrupted suddenly, his eyes instinctively glancing towards the bathroom door as he struggled to come up with an excuse.  
“You… Swam?” Saihara repeated incredulously. “But, Kiibo, you don’t even know how to doggie paddle, much less swim ten miles to-“  
“Well, you know, that life-or-death adrenaline, instincts, I suppose I just had it in me.” Kiibo scratched the back of his head nervously, subconsciously moving to stand between Saihara and the bathroom door.  
“Kiibo, I may not have chosen to follow in my uncle’s footsteps, however I’m still capable of detecting a blatant lie when I hear one.” The dark haired man scolded. “There’s no way you would’ve been able to swim back in those conditions, even if adrenaline did kick in.”  
“... You’re right. I… had some help.” Kiibo admitted, before holding up a finger. “Ah, could you give me a moment? Perhaps I could introduce you…”  
Saihara nodded in confusion, watching as the albino opened the bathroom door a crack, speaking in a hushed voice.  
“Ah, Ouma-kun, another friend came over. Are you alright with meeting him, or should I tell him to leave…?” Kiibo asked, seeing the octopus draped lazily across the edge of the tub.  
“I’m stuck here, so do whatever you want. It’s not my fault if I put a curse on him, though!” Ouma exclaimed, rolling back over into the tub with a splash.  
“Alright.” The biologist nodded, before opening the door, glancing back at his co-worker. “In here, you’ll have to be a bit patient with him- He can be… obnoxious.” He explained, leading the curious journalist in.  
For a moment, Kiibo was afraid that Ouma wouldn’t come up from the tub, until purple hair broke the surface, a wide grin on the mercreature’s face. “Hey, hey! Seems Kiiboy’s brought more visitors, I guess I am pr-“ He stopped speaking abruptly as he saw the newcomer’s face, his eyes narrowing as he pointed an accusatory webbed finger towards him. “You! You were on the boat that left Kiiboy behind!”  
“Ah, Ouma-kun, this is Shuichi Saihara, he’s a frie-“  
“He left you for dead! Called you gross and ugly, too!” The octopus scoffed, crossing his arms and turning away. “How awful!”  
“Saihara would never-“ Kiibo started to object, before remembering that bickering with a mercreature, hell, the existence of mercreatures wasn’t a normal occurrence, turning to check on Saihara.  
The journalist seemed stunned, staring at the octopus in Kiibo’s bathtub before speaking. “So Kamukura was right.”  
“Right about what?” The albino tilted his head slightly, confused as to what he meant.  
“When he called out ‘siren’. I’ve heard tales of him before, but I never thought-“ Saihara paused as he tried to find the right words, seeming a bit overwhelmed from the unfolding events. “I never thought there was any truth to them.”  
“There’s not!” Ouma objected suddenly, huffing as he turned back to the two humans. “I’m not a siren! I’m a mimic octopus hybrid! Totally different! I can’t believe you’d assume like that!”


End file.
